Bitter and the Sweetness
by LuMezenga
Summary: Uraraka Ochako was getting desperate. She has had a crush on Deku-kun since forever, but he never seems to notice her in a romantic way. That is, until she blackmails Bakugou Katsuki into faking being her boyfriend to get a rise out of him. Will it work? Or will she find herself wanting something else entirely?
1. Chapter 1: That's What Heroes Do

"Please, Bakugou-kun!" Ochako bowed before him in earnest. "I know it's unorthodox, but I really need your help!"  
She couldn't see his face since hers was staring at the ground of the hotel hallway.  
"That's just fucking crazy. Why on Earth would I do that?" Katsuki questioned with his arms crossed and his characteristic frown. He had been trying to get to his shared room with Kirishima when Uraraka chased after him with the weirdest request.  
"Because you're...trying to be a better person?" She tried.  
He just raised an eyebrow in response.  
"You want to be friends with me and the rest of 1-A...?"  
His mouth twitched in anger. "I hate half of you and I just can't stand the other half. Why the fuck would I -"  
Ochako sighed, interrupting him. "I guess it can't be helped." While Bakugou wondered why he just hadn't walked off on that weirdo yet, Ochako pulled her cellphone from her pocket. Katsuki pulled the angriest face yet.  
"WHAT THE HELL -"  
"Now now, Bakugou-kun," she smiled innocently. "I think you know what's on this photo gallery."  
His sweat started popping, nitroglycerin high in demand, his hands itching to make a huge explosion to blow all of her stupid fluffy hair off. "You said you had deleted it, you lying -"  
"Various pictures of you..." she shrugged slowly. "In front of an All Might poster. Flexing your -"  
She was interrupted by his hands - they smelled of... gasoline? - over her mouth. "Shut the fuck up, Round Face! I know what's in there, you deceiving little shit!"  
"Mmmhm hmm ahmmm."  
He pulled his hands away so she could speak clearly. "What the fuck are you saying."  
"I said you HAVE to fake being my boyfriend to make Deku jealous now," she locked her screen victoriously.  
"You're a psycho."  
"You know, Bakugou-kun, coming from you, that's almost a compliment."  
Katsuki just yelled in frustration and ran off with his blasting hands, hitting a poor plant nearby.  
"Ochako-chan," Tsuyu approached her friend and roommate during their stay at I-Island. "Did things go well with Bakugou-kun? Kero."  
"Couldn't have gone better," Uraraka triumphantly put her hands on her hips as the flames made the hotel fire alarm go off in the distance.

* * *

Ochako had been growing desperate lately. She had liked Deku since school started, practically, and now they were on the I-Island and all he had eyes to was that older, cooler girl, Melissa Shield.  
So, to put it simply, Uraraka was jealous. Not the crazy, abusive kind of jealousy that would make her resent the object of Deku's affections. Melissa was nice and pretty and there was no way Uraraka would be unfair to the girl by treating her badly. But she felt... insecure. Melissa Shield was obviously more intelligent, capable and beautiful than her, even with no Quirk.  
Maybe she had been focusing on the wrong strategy. Instead of cheering Deku on and staying beside him as his closest female friend, she should make it clear that she was... available. In a romantic way. But how...?  
It was then that it hit her. She should date someone else.  
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt terrible. How could she use someone like that? Go out with a boy she didn't even like? She'd feel like she was betraying Midoriya by simply holding hands with someone else; she would feel like a lowlife. She was the worst being on Earth for even considering it. She was worse than Bakugou. She was -  
Bakugou-kun. Every single time that boy crossed her mind, she couldn't help but frown. He was very confusing. Bakugou was... intense. For good and for bad.  
Actually, what was the good part? Apart from his hellbent will on being the number one hero, Bakugou didn't seem like a genuinely good person. He just hated Deku so much, Uraraka couldn't help but resent him. And Midoriya was the purest, prettiest boy alive, he didn't deserve the treatment that Bakugou gave him, he -  
Wait just a second.  
Ochako had it all figured out.  
She would play along with Bakugou, of all people. If she fake-dated anyone else, she would have to deceive that person, lead him on... or worse, explain to them why she was doing that, on the risk on sounding petty and mean and... well, kind of pathetic.  
Bakugou, however, was someone she didn't care about. He could think of her however he liked; Ochako wouldn't mind at all. And, that particular pairing had a perk: Deku and Bakugou hated each other. The blond boy would say yes immediately!  
...who was she kidding. She'd have to convince the guy. He was less prone to accept this crazy proposal than Aizawa-sensei was inclined to giggle.  
However... she did have that ace up her sleeve. During a school fieldtrip, she walked off to use her cellphone after lunch to open her frontal camera and check for any leftovers on her teeth. She was being super sneaky and mindful of the rest of the group, that was several meters ahead - and then she heard a soft rustle.  
Before she could turn around, she saw it on her cellphone camera. Bakugou Katsuki. Standing in front of a huge, wall-to-wall poster of All Might.  
Flexing his muscles.  
Before she could even think, her finger had moved to take multiple shots of that rare, delightful scene. Once she started filming, however, there must've been a noise or something to tip him off, because Bakugou whipped his head in her direction.  
She could've sworn his eyes were on fire.  
Ochako didn't know how she survived that day. Once he started running in her direction, eyes wild and voice raised - "DIEEEEEE!" - she sprinted, laughing while she was able to quickly save the files on a different folder.  
Once he reached her and knocked her to the ground - Ochako let out a big "oof!" - she showed him that she deleted the pictures. And then, for good measure, she touched his cheek while he was on top of her, making him widen his eyes in surprise and even timidness - and then float upwards.  
"DAMN YOU, ROUND FACE." Bakugou used his explosions to reach the ground again, regaining control of his gravity and trying to hit Ochako somehow, but she ran off laughing and joined the rest of the group.  
They hadn't spoken of that day again - except for Uraraka randomly looking at him and laughing for the rest of the field trip, no one guessed his embarrassing secret.  
That was perfect. She would hold his hand once or twice, and if Deku was even 1% interested in her, he would question Ochako about it or even express discontent over the situation. She would know then.  
Nothing could spoil that plan.

* * *

Except that it could.  
It turned out that I-Island wasn't exactly vacation for them, what with villains showing up left and right, Melissa's father's revelation and All Might having to use all of his power to defeat the bad guy.  
There was one particular moment when Ochako felt she was done for - surrounded alongside her friends, the villains slowly edged closer as she suddenly heard an explosion -  
"Bakugou-kun!" She smiled in relief, happy to see her classmate with Todoroki-kun. It wouldn't hurt to have two of the strongest guys in her class helping her fight.  
"Shut up!" Bakugou barked back. "That's what heroes do!"  
"I never said otherwise!" Ochako shouted in response, taking care of the lowlifes closest to her with newfound vigor.  
Sooner rather than later the battle was won. Ochako joined her friends in celebration in the ball that ended up happening a couple of days later, with no interruptions or villains this time. Melissa was absent, understandably so - and Deku was having a soda with All Might-sensei, on the outskirts of the dance floor. Ochako grabbed Bakugou's hand in a spur of courage and, ignoring his "hey! What the fuck?" she led the way.  
"Oh hush," she whispered as she placed the boy's hands on her waist, placing her own around his neck. "Deku-kun might be watching."  
"The fuck do I care if fucking Deku sees you or not? This is not what I -"  
"Not what you agreed to?" Ochako raised her eyebrows. "Well, since you blasted off and left me practically talking to myself, we didn't settle much. But know this," she leaned in to hiss menacingly at him. "You're being blackmailed here. I tell you what to do. And you're gonna help me, Bakugou-kun, or so help me GOD I will make your life miserable!"  
Katsuki shut up, eyes wary. No one talked to him like that. Well, besides his mother who was an old hag with a clear death wish.  
"You look SOOO good, Bakugou-kun!" Ochako said rather loudly, startling both Katsuki and the couples dancing around them.  
"Eh?" He replied loudly, wondering where the fucking scary girl had gone. How come Uraraka was now all smiley and shit? "Just die already, Round Face!"  
"I should've figured..." Ochako rolled her eyes discreetly. Bakugou wouldn't have better perception abilities, even if he WAS playing nice. He did look very different in his formal clothes, but she wouldn't have gone on to say he looked nice if she didn't have something to gain. Not that it wasn't true, she just wasn't crazy enough to provoke Bakugou.  
She was about to wink at him to signal that she was just playing along in their façade, when -  
"Your hair's not puffy," he muttered under his breath.  
Ochako frowned, self-consciously running a hand through her strands. "What do you mean?"  
"It's puffy usually and it's not today," Bakugou remarked with a grunt. "It looks nicer on the other days. Wearing it like that is stupid."  
She had spent twenty minutes trying to calm down her messy hair. "I really can't tell if you're complementing me or not."  
"Tch."  
Well wasn't that enlightening?  
"You should call me Uraraka or even Ochako if we're gonna sell this story, you know," she continued clumsily waltzing along Bakugou. He didn't seem to care about her stilted moves since he moved as little as possible, only keeping his hands in her waist and his feet giving out small, calculated steps sideways.  
"Can't I call you round face?" He smirked a little. "You know, like a nickname - ow."  
"Bakugou-kun!" She slapped his shoulder again. "People won't believe us. Do you want those pictures to make it to every social media ever used?"  
He sighed forcefully. "Fine. Geez. You can call me Bakugou if it'll help."  
"Wow, such a big difference," she said ironically. "I should call you Katsuki."  
He glared down at her, fire in his eyes, his characteristic pissed off face on. "Don't you dare."  
"What?" Ochako loved messing with him. "You don't like your first name? But it's so cute! Katsuki! Katsuki~ ouch!" She was interrupted by Bakugou's hand squeezing her face.  
"Stop that, round cheeks," he pinched her slightly, making her look like a puffy fish.  
"Geez, Bakugou-kun," her speech impaired by his gesture. "You're not taking this seriously," she wiggled out of his grip and his hands returned to their previous position.  
He grunted. "I don't know what you see in dumb Deku anyways," he continued to sway slightly as his hands rested respectfully on her waist, only a weak squeeze escaping his self-control as he talked passionately about his childhood acquaintance. Ochako almost yelped at the move, but figured out that it was involuntary and decided to ignore it. "He just looks down on people all the time. He should just drop dead."  
"That's rough to talk about your oldest friend, Bakugou," she tried out dropping the honorific in his name for the first time.  
Katsuki growled. "That guy's not my friend."  
"Fine, fine," she conceded as they continued dancing, Shoto and Yaomomo next to them, perfectly graceful. Ochako wondered if Deku had noticed them dancing together already. The sooner he did, the sooner she could stop this nonsense agreement of hers with the explosive boy. But she couldn't spot Deku-kun anywhere. Where had he gone?  
After a few moments of silence, she decided to speak out against Bakugou's previous statements about her crush. "You know, you're completely wrong about him," she said in earnest. "He doesn't look down on people at all. He's kind and sweet and really intelligent. He's also really powerful even if he doesn't know how to use his quirk properly -"  
"Shut the fuck up."  
Ochako raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I forget you're really, really rude."  
"Yeah," he said sarcastically, glaring at her. "Not all of us can be Prince fucking Charming like your precious Deku."  
Ochako's face closed off. "You didn't."  
Bakugou tsked and they continued dancing. "You'd do well not to forget my rudeness."  
"I won't again," she guaranteed, eyes narrowed and suddenly not feeling like faking anything with that jerk anymore.

* * *

A couple weeks later, Ochako decided to text Bakugou. It had been enough time to forget how they parted ways during their trip, and summer vacation boredom was starting to get to her. She had already texted everyone she knew, and apparently all of her close friends were off doing something cool or expensive (or both) during their vacation.  
Yaomomo was obviously abroad. Ochako sincerely couldn't tell if she was on her third or fourth country of her travels. Tsuyu-chan was visiting her grandparents in the country, teaming up with her numerous relatives and enjoying herself. Deku-kun had enrolled in a special program in his gym, working out everyday to reach his goal as number one hero. Ochako worked out daily too, but she did that for two hours in her backyard. What to do on the other twenty-two?  
She had no videogames. No siblings. No cousins with a similar age. She helped around the house and spent time with her parents, but besides the trip to I-Island she did nothing with her summer. She read some magazines, a few books... that was it.  
Bakugou crossed her mind. She wondered what the insufferable boy was doing with his time. Probably brooding and sulking, but most likely using his anger to fuel his workouts.  
Ochako sighed. She couldn't lie to herself and say that Bakugou wasn't...attractive. But anyways. That wasn't the reason why she decided to text him out of the blue. She just realized that they knew next to nothing of each other. And to make this thing work, they had to at least know more than most. And most people only knew Katsuki's name.  
_Bakugou, what's your favorite color?_ she typed after three tries to make it sound as nonchalant as possible.  
His reply came a couple minutes later. **I'm almost too afraid to ask. But what the fuck.**  
She chuckled. Figures. _I need info if we're gonna pretend we're dating!_  
**Sure, I forgot we're five and that's the first thing we ask each other. If you make it interesting I'll think of answering.**  
Hm, that was a challenge. What did the great Katsuki Bakugou consider interesting?  
_Have you ever kissed anyone?_ she tried. Most people their age were interested in that. They were fifteen, for goodness sakes.  
Bakugou answered quickly. **Thats not interesting. You're lame**.  
_THATS A NO HAHAHAHAHA_  
**SHUT THE FUCK UP**  
Bakugou didn't reply to her texts for a full week after that.

* * *

_Bakugou,_ she tried again near summer's end.

**Leave me alooone**.

_Seriously_, she typed. Ochako needed confirmation that they were still on for next week, when classes restarted. _Can I call u Katsuki in school?_

**No.**

_Kacchan?_

**Even worse!** She figured.

_Maybe Katsuki-kun?! Or Bakkun..._

**Bakkun sounds like Baka!**

_Well then it suits you just fine! ;)_

**I hate you, Round face. You have chubby cheeks. They're annoying. You're annoying. Stop texting me.**

_You should call me pretty face since we're dating now!_

**I will BEAT YOUR ASS**

* * *

Finally, after the end of the excruciatingly boring month, school was back in session. Ochako was worried that Bakugou would forget to act like a boyfriend around her, but when he arrived in class, looking dead tired as usual and as unfriendly as he could, she decided against saying anything.  
"Hey, pretty face," Bakugou said to Uraraka as he slumped tiredly on his usual chair.  
The class seemed to stop. Ochako turned a deep red, mouth wide open in surprise. Had she heard him correctly? Did he just say...?  
Kirishima was the first to react. "What was that, Bakugou?"  
Katsuki seemed to catch himself. His eyes widened as he realized what he had said - he had meant to call that bratty girl ROUND face, not pretty - damn her and her texting! Putting things in his head! And since when did he say hello first thing in the morning? He must've been more tired than he thought.  
"Bakugou-kun and I are dating!" Ochako squealed, almost too embarrassed. "Th-That's why..."  
"Ehhhh?" The whole class seemed to vocalize.  
"What?" Momo cried out.  
"Unexpected," Shouto remarked quietly.  
Bakugou sighed discreetly in relief. He had almost forgotten about that. "Yeah. So what, losers?"  
Ochako smiled slightly to sell the story. "I know, right? But it's true!" She had hoped to tell everyone once Deku was in class, but alas, he was late that day...  
Speaking of the devil -  
"Good morning, Uraraka-san," the green-haired boy said in his usual smile and good manners.  
"G-Good morning, Deku-kun," she managed to stutter out, wondering if he had heard the commotion moments before.  
"Midoriya!" Kirishima called out, still incredulous. "Did you hear about Bakugou and Uraraka?"  
"Not really, no!" Izuku had an apologetic face on. "I couldn't stay in touch with everyone as I would have liked over the summer!"  
The class seemed a bit disappointed by the reaction, but as Kirishima was about to press Deku further, Aizawa-sensei entered the room, and everyone quieted down in order to hear the lesson of the day.  
"Uraraka-san," Midoriya whispered to Ochako before Aizawa started talking. "What happened? Everything alright?"  
Ochako's heart skipped a beat. "Y-yeah, just, Bakugou-ku- Bakugou and I went out during the summer." She hoped God would forgive her for lying straight to his face. But this was it. This was the moment when she would be able to tell if Deku-kun had any feelings for her at all. He had to show disappointment, sadness, jealousy - anything that made Uraraka certain that he felt something towards her.  
But instead, Izuku brightened up. "Oh I see! It's always good to make new friends! I know Kacchan could use it!"  
Uraraka forced out a smile back, trying her best to hide her will to cry. As soon as Deku turned around, though, she huffed quietly and bumped her forehead down on her desk. This would never work on someone as oblivious as Midoriya. She would have to keep up the façade for longer than she intended... she would have to lie some more. She felt awful, but now that she set things in motion there was no going back.  
Bakugou was internally disintegrating that green-haired son of a bitch for being so dumb.

* * *

_Bakugou_, she tried once more during that afternoon, frustrated feelings towards Deku aside. _You should call me Uraraka at least_.

**I like Round face better.**

The message put the smallest smile on her face. At least she could still mess with Bakugou. _I thought you liked pretty face better?_

**Just delete the fucking pictures u little shit!**

She snickered to herself in her room. _Anyways, great acting today...too bad Deku didn't notice. We're gonna have to pull out the big guns I'm afraid._

Her phone vibrated less than a minute later. **Whoa Round face, how far are you willing to go for this?**

She turned a deep red. _BAKUGOU!_

* * *

On a sunny Wednesday in UA, Kirishima announced that he'd celebrate his birthday that weekend and that he'd like everyone to attend. Everyone naturally agreed, class 1-A excitedly chatting about it in their dorm. Even Bakugou eventually relented. Everybody knew, however, that it was only because it was Kirishima - even if Katsuki wasn't good at expressing himself, everyone knew the redhead was Bakugou's best friend.  
Ochako spent half an hour deciding on what to wear. She had to be pretty enough to draw the attention of Deku, but not so traffic-stopping that she wouldn't be able to handle the compliments - one or two would be enough.  
So she asked her mom about her options - all of her dressed up clothes (which weren't many) were at her house anyway. So it'd be good to go back home to change before the party, right?  
Wrong.  
Her mother made a huge deal out of it, asking who was it she wanted to impress, was it a boy from her school, would he go tonight, would she behave at this party? Ochako wanted to answer that her mom's notion of "behaving" - not kissing anyone and not wearing short clothes - was ancient and sexist, but she decided not to pick a bone that day. She had already kissed someone over a year ago, then another boy a couple months later, and she always wore whatever she liked - it wasn't worth the discussion and the possible loss of her ride to the party.  
After dressing up in a light blue flowy dress, Uraraka clipped some of her hair back to look a little different. She considered makeup, but decided her day to day look would suffice. She didn't want to look like she cared that much of what Bakugou would think - since people wouldn't know it was Midoriya she was trying to impress.  
Slipping on combat boots, she thought she looked the perfect mix between cute and badass, which was how she felt 80% of the time. Kissing his father goodbye and promising to be good - in his case he meant, of course, no alcohol since she wasn't yet of age - she entered the old car her family owned and prayed that it wouldn't break down that night. They couldn't afford buying a new one so leaving the house with the car was always dicey.  
Upon arriving, however, Uraraka realized she didn't have to worry. The car had been just fine, most of her friends were already there, and since it was a Friday night they were allowed to listen to loud music until after 10pm. A pop song with a strong bass rhythm echoed through the walls once Ochako made her way inside, saying hello to every friend she could find.  
Her eyes settled on Bakugou with a plastic cup in his hand, frowning as usual. He looked different than his day to day look - he appeared to have made an effort. Did he maybe dress up a little because he was fake-dating her? So she wouldn't be embarrassed if he showed up in his uniform or something equally Bakugou-like?  
Ochako couldn't guess. But he looked nice with a dark T-shirt and jeans, a button-up blue shirt over his look and black shoes. His hair was the usual spiky mess, but it looked good on him. It always did.  
Uraraka had to admit that he was handsome. His intense eyes had always captured her, first with annoyance, then with understanding, later on respect... but she could never find herself immune to them.  
Lost in her thoughts, his piercing eyes raised from his cup and met hers across the room. Caught staring, she looked away with a light blush. Now she had to go there and say good evening, otherwise things would just be awkward.  
"Hey, Bakugou," Ochako smiled upon approaching the weary boy.  
He just grunted in response. "You sure got used to calling my name all the time."  
Oh, thank God he was normal. She feared that being caught looking at him up and down would make things weird. "You did give me permission."  
"Bakugou this, Bakugou that," he ignored her, but his tone wasn't angry at all. Uraraka in fact felt like he was teasing her a little. "You just took it upon yourself, didn't you?"  
"There is still the very viable option of Katsuki," she reminded him with a smirk. "I personally think it sends a strong message."  
"The message will be of my fist in your face if you don't quit this shit," he hissed.  
"You would hit me?" Uraraka gasped dramatically. "A poor girl? Shame on you!"  
"Ha! As if you need to be saved by anyone. You're more likely to beat me up than the other way around," Katsuki grumbled mostly to himself, Ochako laughing at his display. In his own way, that was more of a compliment than anything Bakugou had said during their dance in the I-Island ball.  
"You look nice, boyfriend," she teased, bumping his shoulder.  
"Call me that again and I'll fucking murder you."  
"So mean! You're not even gonna say I look good too?"  
"If you give out compliments just to get them back, are they even true?" He questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.  
"Dang, Bakugou. You got me there."  
Katsuki, who was peacefully sipping on his soda, suddenly spit everything with an incredulous look. "What the fuck did you just say?!"  
Ochako's eyes widened. "That you... got me there?"  
"Did you just fucking say 'dang'?" He wiped the back of his hand on his chin, looking amused.  
Ochako's confusion slowly dawned to understanding. "I...did," she smiled sheepishly.  
"Fuck. That's rich." He snorted after a moment, as if he still couldn't believe it. Katsuki placed his plastic cup on a nearby table. "You should say damn."  
"There's really no need..."  
"It feels good," he guaranteed. "You should say it to surprise people. 'Damn this place' or 'damn you, assholes.' I'm not even going to initiate you on 'fuck' yet."  
Ochako really tried to keep a straight face, but she failed. "Bakugou, what do you care if I curse or not?"  
"Well," he got closer to her, his voice lowering so people nearby wouldn't hear their secret. "If everyone is supposed to believe that you're my girlfriend," the use of that particular word sent a chill down her spine for unknown reasons, "then you should curse more. You know, learn from the best and all."  
Uraraka rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous."  
"I'm fucking serious. No one gets near me without losing some decency."  
"That sounded positively dirty."  
"Woah," his eyes glinted. "I didn't go there."  
Ochako turned red from ears to nose, eyes widening and turning away from Bakugou. "S-Shut up."  
"Shut _the fuck_ up."

Uraraka groaned and left, spotting Yaomomo with a fancy hairdo and Toru-chan in desperate need of another female companion. They would be a wonderful substitute for this mortifying conversation.  
After she left, Katsuki just smirked. Ochako was fun to tease, even though he was the one who ended up burned almost every time. He made a mental note to make more dirty jokes near her since that's what always made her lose her composure.  
He kept sipping his drink and growled when he saw his "friends" nearing him. Kaminari was so fucking annoying. The birthday boy accompanied him, a large grin showing his pointy teeth.  
"Hey bro!" Kirishima enthusiastically opened his arms in order to initiate a hug. Katsuki didn't move, but he was engulfed in the embrace all the same. "I'm glad you came."  
"Whatever."  
"Where's my present?" The redhead inquired, glancing around at both of Bakugou's very much empty hands.  
"Hah?!" The blond frowned, glaring at his classmate. "My fucking presence is your gift, you ungrateful little shit!"  
"Ah man, you're no fun! I only got eight so far! Why the hell do you think I invited everyone here?" Kaminari laughed and Katsuki's eyebrows twitched. He was pissed that this social gathering wasn't punishment enough. "I mean, do you really think I wanted to invite Mineta here? That guy's a freaking perv."  
"Did he get you a present?" Katsuki demanded with a sour look.  
"As a matter of fact, he did. He gave me a body pillow of some anime girl. Dude's got issues."  
"Like you're gonna return it, Shitty Hair?"  
"Ouch!" Kirishima laughed, Pikachu snickered, and even Bakugou cracked the smallest of smiles. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Okay, he was completely wrong. Coming to this party was the worst idea he had ever had.  
As the hours passed, people kept mingling more and more until they were sitting down in a circle, a bottle spinning in between them.  
How the hell had he ended up there.  
"I'm not playing," he stated bluntly, and most classmates ignored his little outburst. "I'm fucking serious. This shit is dumb and -"  
"Aw Kacchan!" Fucking Deku sat near him. "You should at least play along! Uraraka-san is playing!"  
"Why the hell should I care -"  
"Ahh Bakugou!" Ochako smiled as she interrupted him, waving her hands frantically. "You don't really have to, it's okay!"  
"Nonsense," Jirou sat down cross-legged across from Ochako. "Everyone's playing."  
Bakugou was about to contest when Pikachu leaned in and spun the bottle. It landed on Tsuyu and Mineta.  
"Ah Tsuyu-chan!" Mineta got up with his characteristic thirsty look. "I dare you to -"  
"I pick truth, kero."  
Everyone laughed, and Mineta deflated. He then asked her what was the most embarrassing thing she was caught doing, and to everyone's surprise, Tsuyu just snickered.  
"I once got caught by my mom using my tongue to scratch a really itchy spot on my back where I couldn't reach, kero. It was funny because I looked like a dog!"  
Uraraka chuckled at the story, and Bakugou took a moment to notice her. Really look at the weirdly brave girl sitting across from him. She was a psycho, that was for sure. No one went all out on him like she did in the Sports Festival. But instead of pissing him off, she actually got his respect. And, you know. He wasn't blind. She was cute. Probably the cutest in class. Ponytail was the sexiest because of her revealing hero costume, but that didn't interest Bakugou. To him, the creating hero was only trying to divert everyone's attention from her boring personality. Everyone in his class was either annoying or tolerable. They were a bunch of extras, aside from Deku, who took the fucking trophy of the biggest pain in his ass, Kirishima and Kaminari, who were actually okay to talk to, and Uraraka, who was also fine to interact with.  
Lost in his thoughts, Bakugou didn't pay attention to the latest two or three spins of the bottle, but everyone gasped when they heard -  
"I dare you to kiss anyone in this room," Aoyama challenged.  
"Uraraka-san will kiss her boyfriend, obviously!" Claimed the invisible girl.  
"What a waste of a good challenge," Tokoyami sighed. Everything was about kissing with these people.  
Bakugou would be amused and even mildly interested if he didn't put two and two together. Uraraka had picked dare. Probably because she was afraid of picking truth and people asking about their 'relationship'. She was then dared to kiss anyone in the room. And of course she couldn't pick anyone else but him, since they were dating for everyone else.  
Fuck.  
Katsuki frowned and glared, starting to shout at the nearest targets, but people started chanting "kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"  
"Are you all fifth-graders?!" Katsuki snarled, knuckles cracking and tiny explosions blasting from his fingers menacingly.  
But alas, he had already threatened every single one of his classmates at least twice, so his menaces were no longer taken seriously. People kept encouraging them forward, and as he glanced at Uraraka, he could see she was red from ear to ear.  
"Ah, but B-Bakugou doesn't... I don't..." Whatever she was saying was drowned out by the noise, insistent and annoying. She stuttered and tucked a strand behind her ear nervously, stealing looks all around her, and for the first time Bakugou noticed some of her brown hair was clipped back.  
That information was in no way relevant to the situation, and Katsuki wondered why the hell he had just thought about that. People continued their stupid chanting, so he growled out an "Okay! Fuck!"  
Excited gasps filled the room and he tried to shut them out. This was about to go down, wasn't it? His first kiss with fucking Uraraka. Not that she was gross or anything, but Katsuki was pissed. He hated being forced to do things. He hated being pressured. But might as well get it over with.  
Uraraka was still spluttering and over-gesturing, when Katsuki sighed forcefully. "Oi, Uraraka. Let's get this over with."  
Ochako closed her mouth audibly, red as a tomato, and gulped. She didn't have a problem with experience, but she was a little bothered that this was going down in front of everyone.  
Plus, Deku-kun was at this party. This was never supposed to happen - she and Bakugou were meant to hold hands at the most, and the lie was never supposed to go over a couple of weeks...  
She set aside all feelings of confusion and neared Bakugou. Her fake boyfriend. She could do this. Ochako was brave. Also it wasn't like this was her first kiss or anything. Just her first (most likely only one) with Bakugou.  
This was okay.  
Katsuki had his arms crossed and his glare directed at the circle of classmates. Why did he even agree to coming to this party again? He'd have been better off working out in the gym. This was ridiculous.  
Ochako took the opportunity of Bakugou being slightly distracted by the ruckus, and touched four of her fingertips on his cheek. Red eyes didn't even have time to widen before she directed his face to hers, joining her lips in a quick motion.  
Her eyes were closed out of habit, but she could still feel him stiffen. Katsuki felt...weird. This was like a sneak attack, right? Could she do that?  
Just as he finally relaxed a little, tense muscles softening and eyelids fluttering close, Uraraka pulled away.  
"T-There," she said meekly. "Happy now?"  
"Extremely!" Aoyama shouted out, glittering as usual.  
"Embarrassing," Todoroki deadpanned.  
"Shut up, half and half bastard!" Katsuki growled.  
Ochako chuckled nervously. This hadn't been so bad after all. At least it was over. She really hoped Bakugou wouldn't be weird about this, but... she didn't know why, she felt like this was more of a big deal to him than it had been to her. Maybe she was right in her assumption that he hadn't kissed anyone? Oh God, she hoped not. She had only been teasing, and being someone's first kiss was a lot of pressure. That person would always remember you when they thought back to that memory...  
They both returned to their places in the circle and Katsuki crossed his arms again. There, he had kissed someone. He didn't need to worry about that for another fifteen years now.  
He could shrug this off, the memory of her lips against his already fading, the only details sticking in his mind were the feeling of her soft finger pads on his cheek and the nice smell of her shampoo all over his nose.  
But back to reality. The bottle was spun once, twice, ten more times. Todoroki was dared to kiss someone and he chose Yaomomo. Ochako gasped along with everyone, but his was only a peck on the lips. Of course it was enough to make Momo-chan blush, but still... most people picked truth. Everyone who picked dare was challenged to kiss someone. Mina had gotten up and kissed Kirishima, much to everyone's amusement.  
Uraraka stole a peek to Deku-kun. What had been his reaction to her dare? He seemed normal now, but had he gotten up and left during her kiss with Bakugou? Had he been upset at all? She'd have to ask Tsuyu-chan later. She was the only one who knew Uraraka's secret. She knew why Ochako was doing this, so she'd be a good friend and tell her, right?  
Deku-kun was acting as usual, laughing and cheering Kirishima on. He was so cute and hardworking. Who wouldn't fall for him? She was positive at least three other girls were in love with that boy. He was like a ray of sunshine. He warmed her up.  
Bakugou, on the other hand... she sighed. That boy was trouble. Sure, he was also cute and hardworking, but in a whole other dimension. His pride and arrogance would be his downfall. Ochako hoped for his best, but she knew he needed to be less rude, curse less often, treat people respectably... he could learn a thing or twenty from Deku-kun. Specially considering his past as a bully. That was something Ochako simply did not approve or condone.  
Distracted by her thoughts, she was suddenly back in the game when she hard Bakugou groan out loud. The end of the bottle had stopped in his direction.  
"Do I really fucking have to?" He snapped.  
"C'mon," Kirishima coaxed him. "It's my birthday!"  
"Pick dare and kiss Uraraka again!" Shoji stated, much to the snickers of the rest of the class.  
"Just fucking ask me something," he snarled to poor Ojiro, whose tail trembled a little in response.  
"Okay then," Ojiro gathered up his courage. "What did you see in Uraraka-san?"  
Ochako snapped her head up. Freaking Bakugou! Was he dumb or something? She hadn't picked truth in the first place so she could get away with some stupid dare! It was obvious people were curious about their relationship. They didn't know it was fake!  
But then again, if he picked dare, they'd make them kiss again. And that had been so embarrassing...  
"Her guts and roundness are respectable," he huffed out, not an ounce of sarcasm in his voice. Uraraka's eyes widened slightly and she felt... flattered. She glanced at Deku-kun for his reaction, but all the green-haired boy looked was cheerful as usual. Ochako smiled it off, deciding to stop staring so much.  
"Aww," Toru-chan led the following chorus. Uraraka rolled her eyes. She loved her classmates. She really hoped they wouldn't be too heartbroken when she and Bakugou 'broke up' eventually.


	2. Chapter 2:I could use a practice partner

**CHAPTER 2: I could use a practice partner****  
**  
Ochako should have known the girls of 1-A would corner her eventually. Sighing at all the questions about Bakugou, she tried replying them one by one.  
"Of course I think he's cute," she admitted begrudgingly. Even someone who hated Katsuki would say he wasn't bad to look at. If Ochako didn't think it'd give him such a big head, she might even tell him he was hot.  
"No one declared feelings to anyone. It's me and Bakugou, guys. It just... happened," she offered much to the girls' disappointment.  
"No, I haven't met his parents," she continued, regretting the whole idea of having friends at all. Who knew they'd get this interested in her love life?  
Finally, the question she'd been dreading... Mina was the brave one who inquired about Bakugou's bullying.  
Ochako sighed. "He never really went out of his way to make my life miserable like he did with Deku-kun." Uraraka did believe in Bakugou's ability to change. It was possible even for villains in her opinion. Maybe all he needed was a second chance. "And that happened a long time ago. Now they just have this weird sort of rivalry where they keep beating each other up."  
"Uraraka-san, I thought Midoriya was your best friend," Yaomomo frowned. Silence fell on the common room, with Tsuyu keeping to herself, eyeing Uraraka.  
"He _is_," Ochako agreed exasperated. "He's very special to me." She was trying her best not to lie and say he was even more special to her than Bakugou. She would feel bad if she lied any more than she was already forced to because of that dumb idea of hers.  
Maybe she had picked the wrong strategy. Maybe there would be damage that would taint her reputation for good. Being a bully's girlfriend was no reason for pride. So what could she say to defend the indefensible? What point could Uraraka make to help everyone understand that Bakugou was changing for the better, little by little?  
"I think... there's more to him than meets the eye."  
The girls around her kept quiet, Toru-chan the only one who gasped softly in surprise.  
And last but not least, one question she didn't anticipate: "What made you say yes?" Jirou was the one to inquire curiously.  
Ochako surprised herself with her own answer: "I would never date someone who didn't take me seriously as an opponent."  
Mina nodded. "Makes sense! Bakugou was the only one who didn't underestimate you!"  
Uraraka nodded and the girls turned their attention to the upcoming tests to get their provisory license, their curiosity about the fake relationship satisfied for the moment.  
And yet, Ochako couldn't help but wonder... Would Deku try his best to kick her ass like Bakugou during the Sports Festival? Or would he unknowingly look down on her and go easy, like most did?  
She didn't have that answer. Or rather, she did, and didn't like it one bit.

The results were out. Uraraka read her name in big, bold letters along with her classmates'. Ochako had _passed_. She could act as a hero with her provisory license now, if need be. She wouldn't have to sit idle anymore. She was so happy on their way back to UA that she couldn't stop smiling.  
She heard some chatter that Todoroki hadn't gotten his, but she was on cloud nine that she did, leaving the feeling bad for Todoroki-kun for later. She was underestimated left and right, so it felt good to be equal at last.  
Uraraka was so happy that she was headed for their training grounds, Gym Gamma, to work out her joy on a sack. Ever since her internship, she found that punching stuff made her considerably calmer. There was some science behind it, of course - the body released a substance called endorphins the more you exercised, and that in turn relaxed the mind. She was very much looking forward to -  
BOOM!  
Yeah, Bakugou was there too, wasn't he?  
Well, Ochako figured she'd spar with him and get some training done. She could bet he was fired up from getting his license, too!  
No one else was on the court, so Uraraka joined her fingertips, making herself float up to her partner. It'd be good to stop the nausea that came with using her Quirk on herself.  
"Hey Bakugou," she smiled genuinely his way. "Happy about the license, huh?"  
Katsuki was pissed. Not at her, obviously, so he managed his anger and stopped shooting explosions forward so he could be heard. "I didn't pass."  
"Oh," Ochako cringed. Way to ruin their slowly building trust and respect in each other. Silence settled for a few awkward seconds. "I'm really sorry... I didn't know."  
"Tch," he turned away from her, palms dryly hitting the nearest punching bag. "Was my fucking fault."  
That surprised her. Admitting his own blame? Not getting pissed off at other people? The ones who granted the points, maybe. Hell, even _she_ might have been pissed if she felt like the judges were unfair. Not that this had been the case with her fake boyfriend, but still...  
Wow, was that a new thought. Thinking of Bakugou as her boyfriend, even a fake one.  
She supposed she should offer to help him. Just out of courtesy. He'd never accept her help anyways.  
"Fucking Deku passed," he grunted, continuing his work on the punching bag.  
"You just need to retake the tests in a couple of months," Uraraka offered.  
"I know," he punched the sack again. "I'm just - still pissed."  
Ochako was about to leave the gym to let Bakugou process this on his own - he always needed his space, and she could work out later on - when she heard him murmur, mostly to himself:  
"Again, I'm staying behind."  
That tug at Ochako's heartstrings. It made her feel bad for her colleague. She didn't dare call him her friend yet, but maybe...  
"I can help you," she approached him.  
"I don't need your help," he replied mostly out of habit, punching the sack again. He let it hit him on the way back, too tired to move. He sighed and looked at Ochako almost apologetically.  
That was enough for her. She could read his signs. Was getting better over time, too.  
"Well, I could use a practice partner," she shrugged. "One who doesn't underestimate me just because I'm a girl or because of my Quirk."  
Katsuki raised his eyes to her, sighing and sitting down.  
"Think of it as you helping me, for a change," she offered with a shy smile, joining him on the ground. "Out of the kindness of your heart."  
Bakugou stared. Then snorted.  
"That's fucking rich."  
"I know, right?" She chuckled, noticing out of the corner of her eye how rare of a sight Bakugou smiling was. "But seriously," Ochako bumped her shoulder against his lightly. "We can help each other out. I'll help you with rescue stuff. I'm guessing that was what made you fail?"  
He grunted, affirming her suspicions. He was too strong a hero to be failed by lack of skills in a race or assignment. He probably mistreated the pretend-victims in the exercise and got himself some negative points, Ochako figured. He also sucked at teamwork, but that would take longer to repair.  
"You can teach me some of your techniques in exchange," she continued. "I want to fight. I wanna get better at it."  
"I know you do," he eyed her almost...respectfully? In a complimentary manner? Ochako couldn't tell.  
"Okay then," he got up, dusting off his pants. "Partners," he offered his hand down.  
"Equal partners," Ochako added, accepting his offer to get up and being careful not to touch him with all of her fingertips at once.  
"Equal," he smirked, pulling her up. "Except I'm better than you."  
Ochako smirked right back, tightening her grip on his fingers and using her Quirk to make Bakugou weightless.  
That allowed her to pull him over her shoulder, releasing the boy on the ground with a loud thud before he could even tell he'd been in the air in the first place.  
"Ow! What the fuck?"  
Ochako leaned down, smiling sweetly at the blond mess. "Equals."  
Katsuki grunted. "I knew it before you knocked me down, Pretty Face."  
He got up to a slightly flustered Ochako. Katsuki knew that the new nickname would have her more embarrassed than him, so he might as well own it. She did, after all, have a pretty face, and she was the one who suggested - albeit jokingly - that he'd call her that to sell the dating lie.  
"6AM good?" He asked.  
She blinked. So early! "Sure," she shrugged. "Don't forget your hero gear," Uraraka reminded, feeling like a dedicated girlfriend all of a sudden. "Because I won't be going easy on you," she added.  
"Huh," he shook his head. "Wouldn't expect you to."  
Ochako smirked. "Okay. It's a date," she replied before exiting, her wording hitting her a second too late. Once she was outside, she shook her head to walk off the embarrassing feeling, unknowingly leaving a flabbergasted Katsuki behind.

Ochako wasn't exactly peaking at 6:15, but she was awake. Bakugou, on the other hand, was every inch as energetic as he usually was. Uraraka felt sluggish and tired, so she took her time stretching and sighing.  
"You've been doing that for twenty minutes," Bakugou grumbled. "Let's get to the point."  
Ochako groaned, deciding to ignore his jab – because she had been doing that only for ten minutes – and got up, assuming a fighting stance of sorts.  
Katsuki frowned at her. "Okay, first," he pinched his nose as if teaching her was already demanding. "You're standing all awkward. Look at this."  
He lowered his right arm quickly on top of hers, and her hand lowered with the strength of his strike.  
"See how your arms are weak in their position? You won't defeat anyone if you can't hold your ground."  
Uraraka huffed, already annoyed. She didn't have breakfast because it'd be foolish to fight with a full stomach, but as it turned out it was dumb to fight on an empty one, too. She readied her stance again, already regretting this whole deal. Wasn't this supposed to help Bakugou? Why did it seem like it was a punishment for her, then?  
Katsuki repeated his move, meeting more resistance this time. Her arm only lowered slightly.  
"Better," he conceded, every inch of his face bored as usual. "But you have to keep your guard up the whole time. Your body has to have that strength and power everywhere. Otherwise..."  
He quickly lifted his leg and positioned his ankle behind her knee, pulling it forward and making her lose balance. Her leg bent, and her knee hit the ground.  
Ochako hissed. This was getting ridiculous.  
"See? You have to be strong everywhere. Always pay fucking attention to your surroundings. If you make your whole body firmer, it'll be harder to knock you down."  
Ochako got up and resumed her fighting stance. It was good advice, sure, but the harsh manner in which Bakugou spoke always made her want to punch his sneering face, even if he was, technically, helping her.  
Bakugou brought down his arm swiftly, but this time she was ready. Not only did he hit her and bounced right back, but her muscles were so tense that the momentum had his arm relaxed. Ochako used her other arm to knock down on his, making him the one to be impacted by her blow.  
"Tch."  
"Go on, Bakugou," Uraraka sighed. "I don't have all day."  
It was safe to say that Katsuki was someone who was easily annoyed. Everyone knew that. He was left alone, thank God, because of it. But somehow, Uraraka always fucking ignored that. She thought nothing of his acid remarks, she got completely used to his outbursts, and she even got to the point that she actually responded to all of that, either with disinterest like she did now, or worse - replying him wittily.  
He didn't like friendly banter. Katsuki liked telling people to shut up and having consequential silence. How come fucking Uraraka not only defied him, but told him off? Like he was a fucking toddler?  
She was annoying. But he respected her guts. Also, she had those pictures. It took a lot of balls to threaten him like that. He could've burned her off the surface of the Earth, and yet here he was, half past six am, teaching this girl how to properly spar.  
How had he gotten himself in this situation?  
"Is this position better?" Her voice inquired, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I feel like my weight is better distributed like that." Uraraka's feet were a little wider apart, her posture denouncing how much strength she was putting into holding that position. She learned fast.  
"Better," he replied with a swift move of his arm, which again bounced up on her skin. She was holding herself better. "Just keep that always in the back of your mind. Don't get distracted."  
"Okay," she agreed with determination in her eyes. She was doing this. She was going to get stronger and be a better hero. She would get more offers to internships on her second year. And then, agencies would spot her and offer her jobs. She could get her pick and choose the one who would make her help her parents earlier.  
They started distributing some light blows, an unspoken agreement between them not to use their Quirks yet. They were getting acquainted with each other's bodies and strengths, Ochako for instance noticing how Bakugou used his right side way more often, leaving his left one open.  
Katsuki was carefully analyzing Uraraka's strikes, holding himself back a little since they were still warming up. Not that he didn't think Ochako deserved his all, but she wasn't going all out on him either. So they kept trying to punch or kick each other lightly, careful not to hurt themselves, and blocking most blows.  
Ochako couldn't tell if that went on for fifteen or fourty-five minutes, but she was breaking a sweat in her gym clothes.  
"Time out," she breathed. "I need water."  
Walking up to her bottle, she sat down with a happy sigh as she drank it all.  
"Pussy," Katsuki grumbled to himself, knowing full well that she wasn't a coward for stopping their sparring - after all, they were only training. But still. Just for good measure.  
"Rude," Ochako frowned at him. "You have such a foul language. It's kind of gross."  
"Didn't fucking ask you," he spat, sitting down near her and drinking from his own water bottle.  
"Sure," she glared a little. "Nevermind."  
They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, hydrating themselves and catching their breath.  
"We should train your rescuing," Uraraka suggested, tired of combat for now. Glancing at her cellphone, she saw it was 6:45 already. They would have to go to their dormitory at around 7:30 if they wanted to shower, get dressed and have breakfast before their classes started at 8:15.  
"Okay," Bakugou got up in one impulse, Ochako following him.  
"Alright," she put her hands on her hips. "If you see a possible victim. Let's pretend it's me."  
"Not like there's anyone else around to play fucking pretend, but knock yourself out."  
Ochako mentally counted to ten so she wouldn't lose her temper. "Anyway. I'm walking around just fine. What do you do?"  
"Fucking nothing. You're walking. You don't need my help."  
"Wrong. You ask if I need your assistance."  
"The hell do you think I am? I'm supposed to be a hero, not a fucking nurse."  
"Bakugou," Ochako finally snapped. "Stop playing dumb. You know these are the scenarios where you're the first one on the scene while the villain is being taken care of. _You_ have to assess the situation and decide whether or not people need isolation, immediate attention from doctors, if people are better off moving or not. You must also learn how to properly rescue them without breaking any laws or any extra bones."  
"Tch."  
"You have to take this just as seriously as your Quirk development," Ochako ignored his contempt. "I'm serious. Rescuing is an important part of your hero work. Don't you want to be number one?"  
Katsuki flared up. "Of course I do!"  
"Then start studying!" Ochako put her hands in her hips. "I'm walking around near the accident or villain. What do you do?"  
"...I ask if you're okay," Bakugou gritted through his teeth.  
"And?"  
"If you need my assistance."  
"Better," Ochako conceded.  
She ran a couple more scenarios with Bakugou; the last one had her lying down.  
"Are you okay or in need of assistance?" Katsuki repeated like a machine, bored as all hell. This was stupid and meaningless for him. Rescuing was for people who couldn't defeat the villains and were stuck with the second best hero duty. But, he needed to get at least decent to get his provisory license, and in the future, his permanent one, too.  
Uraraka didn't reply and had her eyes closed. "Oi," he snapped. "Are you in need of fucking assistance, you little shit?"  
Uraraka internally sighed. She would fail him on this test too. But she kept silent. She had to make him understand the point of the exercise.  
"You're unconscious. I get it."  
Uraraka felt like rolling her eyes. For someone so strong, Bakugou could surely be dumb as a rock sometimes.  
"I'll take you to a safer place," he decided, picking her up and carrying her on his arms.  
Uraraka opened her eyes and stared at him. "Are you insane? I could be badly injured!"  
"Oh, thank you for telling me _now,_ Sleeping fucking Beauty."  
"Bakugou," Ochako sighed, making her way off his arms and into the ground. "I was a victim. Unconscious and unmoving. You can't just pick me up and carry me somewhere else, you could seriously damage the person!"  
"Well how the hell am I supposed to know?" Bakugou crossed his arms, frowning and glaring as usual. "Maybe there was a meteor shower and you were safer away from it!"  
Uraraka scoffed. "Okay, yeah, in that _very extreme_ and unlikely situation, sure, you could move me!"  
Bakugou's fingers curled and flexed, as if he was getting ready for a fight. He was so easily triggered, it was alarming.  
"This is ridiculous."  
Ochako sighed and it was her turn to pinch the bridge of her nose, asking God for patience. Because if He gave her strength she would knock Bakugou's teeth in.  
"Bakugou. Rescuing is less flashy than kicking butt. I know that. But you should seriously consider this a part of your future job as a pro hero. Just like paperwork and doing press."  
"Tch." He crossed his arms. "Like I would go around doing commercials for fucking cereal."  
Yeah, he was right. It was the weirdest scene in Ochako's head. She just couldn't see Bakugou smiling and approving a product because of money.  
She chuckled discreetly. "Okay, but what I mean is," Uraraka sat down, grabbing her little towel and drying the nape of her neck. "Rescuing is a vital part of the job. You won't always be the first one on the scene. Sometimes, people are already taking care of the villain. Or they have even been defeated."  
Bakugou joined her on the ground, taking a swig out of his water bottle.  
"What I mean is, there's no point in defeating villains and making good press and looking like a badass, if you endanger people's safety when you do it."  
She thought Bakugou would scoff or roll his eyes, but surprisingly he stayed silent, looking deep in thought. Maybe she was helping him see that rescuing _was_ to be taken just as seriously as fighting and developing Quirks.  
He looked down at his phone. "We should go. It's almost time."  
"Okay." Ochako got up, offering down her hand to Bakugou.  
He looked at it like it was the weirdest thing he'd ever been offered. Torn between slapping it away and actually taking it, he made a small move forward when Uraraka abruptly took it back.  
"Too slow!" She chuckled. "Race you to the dorms!" Ochako yelled and started running before he could reply.  
"DIEEEEEEEEEEE!"  
Blows and explosions could be heard from a distance, a few birds flying away from the nearest trees.

Once she was showered and in her uniform, Ochako went downstairs and was surprised to notice no one else on the kitchen.  
"Losers are sleeping in," Bakugou smirked almost menacingly as he stirred his miso soup. Ah, the small victories of day to day. Katsuki was thrilled that he has gotten in not one, but two different training sessions _and_ was going to have the most nutritious breakfast since they would all wake up just in time to get dressed and grab a fruit or protein bar.  
Ochako looked at the rice cooker, the miso soup and seasoned seaweeds. "I didn't know you could cook, Bakugou."  
"Until yesterday you were one of the losers sleeping in."  
She frowned. "As opposed to the victor I am right now?"  
"Yeah," he replied like it was the most obvious thing ever. "You're trying harder than most. You'll achieve your goal."  
"Is that what you tell yourself every night before going to bed?" She chuckled.  
Bakugou fumed, turning his back to her and pouring his miso soup on a bowl.  
Ochako entered the kitchen and made herself some plain toast, grabbing some orange juice to help wash it down.  
"That's all you're eating...?" Bakugou inquired, eyeing her plate.  
Ochako looked at his full and nutritious meal. "I mean, yeah...?"  
Katsuki had only cooked enough for one person. His first impulse was offering some to her anyways, but then what would become of his reputation? He'd be a softie.  
"There's enough nori if you want some," he gestured to the dried seasoned seaweed.  
"Oh, I couldn't possibly bother you like that! You cooked for yourself, Bakugou, and I just eat these because I can't cook for the life of me."  
"Take the damn nori at least. You trained before school. If you faint during class I'm not rescuing you."  
"Not like you _could_, with those lousy moves during rescue training, anyways."  
Bakugou paused. "Give me back the fucking nori!"  
"No!" She laughed, grabbing one before he could take the plate away. "Thank you for the food!"  
"You're such a little shit."  
"A little shit who beat you to the dorms this morning," she grinned.  
Katsuki paused and looked at her, almost proud. "You know what? I'm gonna let that one slide 'cause you just said 'shit.' Well fucking done, Uraraka."  
Ochako turned slightly red and groaned, trying to escape his gaze by chugging down as much orange juice as she could.

Class was instructive as usual, and Ochako found that she had a better time concentrating on the subjects. Maybe it was due to her training in the morning, having a decent breakfast for once - Bakugou gave her more nori afterwards, despite his grumbling – or from waking up earlier. She was completely attentive to everything in class, so she got to the dorms after their afternoon lessons and excitedly opened her calendar to see when the next assignment was due. Looking over her backpack and later, her bookshelf in her bedroom, she noticed one material missing.  
_Did you keep my algebra book?_  
**I did**, he typed. **I only noticed I had two when I unpacked today. **They probably had gotten them mixed up after breakfast, when they were hurriedly gathering their materials to get to class on time.  
_Want to come over and give it back to me?_ she tried, lazying around in her pillows. Bakugou's room was far away from hers. They could bear to spend just a little more time together, if the intent was to help each other out. _We could have a study session. I have popcorn_.  
**Is that the only thing you can cook?  
**_Yes._  
**Is it safe?  
**_It's not burnt or anything._  
**Are you stupid?  
**Ochako frowned. _Like in general or just cooking?_  
**No, like are you seriously dumb in school subjects? 'Cause if you are I'm not wasting my fucking time tutoring anyone. Not unless you pay me or something  
**Uraraka scoffed. As if she had extra money lying around! And for something like that!  
_So offensive! I'll have you know I always get called in class and answer correctly!_  
**Do you think I give a flying fuck about what goes on around me?  
**_You do not, of course. I forgot for a second you were maniacally egotistical. My bad_, she rolled her eyes. Dealing with him was always so exhausting.  
When he didn't reply for a minute, Ochako tsked and started gathering her things to study on her own. She'd grab her algebra book later, when she wasn't so fed up with Bakugou's attitude.  
A knock on the door a few minutes later interrupted her actions. She got up with a sigh, opening it without ceremony to reveal none other than her classmate-turned-fake-boyfriend.  
"Your book," he offered her, looking bored as usual.  
"Thanks," she got it from him and took a step back to shut him out of her room.  
"Hey," he put one of his palms on the closing door. "I have some time to kill now."  
Ochako raised an eyebrow. She had to do all the work when socializing with this awkward duckling, didn't she? "You wanna come in and study together? Common room's too loud."  
"Don't I fucking know it," he passed Ochako on the way in, settling on her spread out pillows and crossing his legs in front of her table.  
Uraraka internally shrugged. Truth was she could use some help with the latest algebra lesson. Ectoplasm-sensei was a good teacher, but kinda scary too.  
"Everyone's always laughing and talking," Bakugou continued much to her surprise. "Thinking they own the place. When in truth we're only in this dorm because we weren't able to fight off the fucking villains. Every day we spend here is like a punishment."  
She shut the door and joined him on the floor, sitting down across from him. "And that bothers you."  
"Of course it fucking does! Do you think I have time to laze around like those clusterfucks? I'm gonna be the best. I have to make more sacrifices than everyone else."  
"You could also learn to chillex," Uraraka smiled slightly, opening her book. "We couldn't fight off the villains but the pro heroes, who are supposed to handle these things, couldn't see it coming either. So it's just safest to hang around here for a while. You know, stay out of trouble. If that even is a conceivable notion to you," she teased, getting her pencil case. "Plus, it's not like you're not already doing everything you can. You could afford some time to goof off. Stare at the ceiling. Listen to punk rock or whatever it is you do for fun. Kick some innocent puppies?" She wondered ironically.  
"That's fucking cold. I would never hurt animals," Bakugou sneered. "They can't fight me back. They only have little paws and shit. It's humans who are scum."  
"That statement was somehow completely unsurprising."  
"Tch."  
Uraraka chuckled, opening up on their homework. "Did you get started on that already?"  
"Yeah. Bitchy part of math," he clicked his tongue once, opening his notebook to its latest entry. "Troublesome, but doable. I'm not done yet. I keep worrying about that fucking essay."  
"Oh, English class?" Ochako had her best grades in that subject. "I can help you out."  
"I don't -"  
"Need your help!" She finished off in an obviously fake, low voice.  
Katsuki gaped. "Was that fucking sorry excuse of a voice supposed to be me?"  
"I'm Bakugou Katsuki," Ochako continued mocking him. "I'm gonna kill everyone so I'll be number one hero by default! Boom! Kaboom!" Uraraka waved her arms around as if she, too, had grenades on them. "Pew pew!"  
"My Quirk doesn't sound like that!" Bakugou snarled, clearly pissed off. It was so easy getting a rise out of him.  
"I will be even better than Uravity, the current number one hero!" She couldn't help but snicker at the end of the sentence, not being able to pretend having a deep, manly voice anymore.  
She thought Bakugou would laugh at the ridiculous notion of her, a wannabe rescue hero, in the first position.  
But instead he growled and shouted, Bakugou-style, about how "I'll be number one! I'll take you right off the first position when you reach it!"  
Not if. When.  
It was a curious choice of words, but she just laughed it off. "Geez, Bakugou," she held her stomach to calm down her laughs. "You're too easy to tease."  
Katsuki just grumbled to himself and forcefully flipped a notebook page, nearly ripping it off in the process. "So am I gonna guide you through this bitch ass assignment or not?"  
"Yes sir!" She saluted him, a smile on her face. "I have my essay here while we're at it. You could look it over and see if it'll be of any help. Not that you need any, of course."  
"Of course," he nodded, taking the paper from her hands, his fingertips brushing her pads. Katsuki started reading it over. She was good at writing. He had lied earlier when he said he didn't notice people in class; his colleagues were his competition. If someone had all A's on their regular subjects, even if they weren't better than Bakugou on their Quirk development they would still rank higher in the school. So he understood that, to be noticed by _all_ the agencies, he had to have the best possible combo; the skills _and_ the grades.  
And he knew Ochako was their English teacher's little pet. The girl knew her complicated kanji. It was almost impressive. Reading over her essay, he could tell his main issue had been with the structure; his idea wasn't too far off from their teacher's initial request. However, his vocabulary could use some embellishment too. He traded notebooks with her, giving Uraraka his notes on Algebra and keeping her essay close as he worked on rewriting his in silence.  
Ochako worked quietly too, which was a blessing. Katsuki hated noisy, loud people. And he had enough of that in the common room.  
"You said you had popcorn," he reminded a good twenty minutes later.  
"Oh, I didn't make it yet," she replied without even looking up from her work.  
"You said they weren't burnt."  
"Because they won't be," Uraraka replied easily, pencil working furiously on the paper as she worked out the equation.  
Bakugou huffed as he supported his elbow on the table impatiently. Leaning on his hand, he took a moment to observe Uraraka. If he wasn't careful, she'd surpass him in grades. He was pretty sure he could rank above her in Quirk development and skills, but her fighting had been better after that internship of hers. He would need to watch out for that one. Caution told him that the best strategy was not to cooperate or engage with her, treating her purely as competition to be beaten. But the little crease in her forehead of concentration told him he had found his likeness in her; that same damned determination, that same need to prove everyone wrong. Of course Uraraka served everyone that feeling with a smile, but underneath that cute girl exterior there was a fire burning with her goal in life. He just couldn't tell why it was.  
Maybe it was because she was a girl? Or her Quirk was considered not as flashy as his, for example, and she wanted to prove her worth? Didn't sound like Uraraka. Staring for a good five minutes now, Bakugou decided to clear his throat.  
"Why do you want to be a pro hero?"  
"Huh?" She finally raised her big brown eyes from the paper. "You're asking _me_ that?"  
"No Uraraka, I'm asking the fucking ghost of Christmas past. Jesus."  
"Okay, alright," she huffed out impatiently, making one of the strands in her hair fly slightly backwards. "Because of money."  
Katsuki paused. "I'm sorry. Because of what now?"  
"Geez, Bakugou," she smiled sweetly. "I'm not talking to the ghost of Christmas past here!"  
"You little -" his eyebrow twitched as he raised his hand in her direction, sweat already popping on the surface of his skin as she just snorted.  
"Your face! Hahaha," she closed her eyes in mirth. "Oh gosh. But yeah, because of money. Long story short, my parents didn't have much when I was growing up and I hated seeing them struggle. I just want to help them out when I can. They're doing their best to pay UA's tuition, you know. It isn't cheap."  
Bakugou received that information like a punch to the gut. He remembered the short conversation he had with his parents over his high school - he told them he wanted to go to UA, and they agreed without even looking at the cost. When the first bill arrived, they said they were relieved because they thought Japan's best Hero school would be more expensive than that.  
He just felt bad about that now. Plus, he had texted her saying he would only tutor her for money. Ouch.  
Realizing he had left her hanging, Katsuki met her curious eyes across the table. "That's a noble reason."  
Ochako shook her head, smiling. "Thanks, but it's not. It's actually pretty selfish. Of course I love helping people out, I mean that's why I want to be a rescue hero... but at the end of the day, I'm doing it for the money. If people knew they might not even want me to save them." That was a scary thought.  
Bakugou stayed silent. "So why did you tell me?" He inquired with a frown. It didn't add up. Did she trust him that much?  
"Oh, I've got you on the palm of my hand," she looked down at her notebook and restarted her equations. "All I need to do is click 'share' on those pics and you'll wish you hadn't said a word."  
Wow. She was a stone cold bitch.  
That was... kind of hot.  
A knock on the door interrupted their exchange before Bakugou could reply.  
"Ochako-chan, are you there? Kero."  
"Tsuyu-chan!" Uraraka responded in a second, her bubbly and cute girl front already back. That was so weird to Katsuki. It was like only he knew the other side of Uraraka. For everyone else, she was just happy and helpful and joyful...  
It was weird.  
"Come in," she called to her friend, who opened the door and laid eyes on Bakugou.  
"Ochako-chan," Asui started. "I didn't know you were doing private things with your boyfriend, kero."  
"PRIVATE WHAT NOW?!" Katsuki exploded, sweat dripping to his palms and popping in the surface.  
Ochako looked him over. "Yeah, closed doors can only mean one thing," she shrugged. "But you're not interrupting anything much."  
Bakugou shrieked, feeling like he was spitting fire. "WHAT THE FUCK-"  
"Kero."  
"Relax, Bakugou," she smiled sweetly in his direction and he calmed down ever so slightly. "Tsuyu-chan knows the truth. She's just teasing you."  
Katsuki groaned. He hated girls. All of them. He hated interacting. He hated that he was being blackmailed. He hated having colleagues who liked to mess with him. He hated it all.  
Except maybe studying with Uraraka.


	3. Chapter 3: What Boyfriends Do

Ochako panted. This was exhilarating. Hard? Yes. Tiring? Also yes.

But fighting Bakugou was _so_ rewarding.

He never held back, only constricted by their training space. She used her Quirk only quickly, and so did he. They focused mostly on body-to-body combat, using their abilities only to surprise one another in close range. Hence, Bakugou couldn't wildly explode on her face, and Ochako couldn't float herself away from the fight.

She felt herself getting better, or at least progressing more with each day passing by than she was in her fool's mission to get Deku to like her.

The thought had her distracted and Bakugou was able to hit her shoulder. "You're far away, Pretty Face."

The nickname only pissed her off this time. "Thinking of where to go on our next date," she teased, aiming a good kick that he was able to divert, even though he had some trouble doing so.

"Tch," his eyes lit up, concentrated on the fight. "Don't pick anywhere expensive."

"Hah," Ochako breathed, blocking his next strike and successfully hitting his ankle with the help of her Quirk, which made her float quickly around him. "You're cheap."

They were mostly used to each other's strengths and weaknesses now, having trained for several consecutive days. Ochako broke a sweat more often, but it was so refreshing to have her partner not underestimate her because she was a girl. And the moves she learned with Bakugou were totally different than the ones from her internship, so she was constantly learning when training with him.

Bakugou used his ability to fire near her - his intention to distract her enough to push her to the ground - when his blast hit a pile of rocks nearby, constructed for training. The stones came tumbling down, unbeknownst to Ochako.

"Look out!" His eyes widened as he jumped on top of her. Everything happened so fast. Uraraka was just widening her eyes in surprise to his warning when he threw himself at her, knocking her to the ground and rolling over her with the strength of his push. Every rock from the pile fell over, most far from them as they got to safety. The handful of stones stopped falling off, but not before the last one hit Bakugou in the back.

He grunted, moving slightly as he rolled sideways one last time, ending up lying on his back. Ochako was on top of him and completely unharmed, his arms around her waist from the emergency maneuver.

"Bakugou..." she breathed out, panting a little as she looked down at him, both their chests heaving. She could barely understand what had been going on, their legs were still tangled up together from rolling over and her lashes had debris from the accident. Ochako's eyes wandered to the spot where she had been standing, three huge rocks occupying her former place. She directed big brown eyes to her companion, noticing the embarrassing position once she found herself chest to chest, inches away from Bakugou's nose.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she said, slowly supporting her body weight on her arms and carefully getting off of him. "You just... you saved me."

"Of course," he grunted, clearly uncomfortable with his position lying down, but not necessarily looking pleased she pushed herself off him. "That's what boyfriends do."

Her features softened at his slip up. "I thought this was what heroes did," she reminded gently, holding his hand to help him sit up.

"Yeah, yeah," he accepted the help for once, only adding a slight grunt. "That too."

Ochako thought of saying that there was no one there to witness whether he was being boyfriend-like or not. He didn't need to pretend all the time, just in front of Deku-kun and the others, and even so it was more out of necessity so it wouldn't look weird to act as boyfriend and girlfriend only in front of Midoriya. But for some reason, she decided against speaking up on the matter. She liked considerate Bakugou. She could bear to spend more time with him like this.

"Oh, careful not to hold my hand with all fingertips," she warned, still not letting go of his hand even though he had sat up already. "Otherwise, you know. Quirk and... and all."

Bakugou looked down at their still joined hands. Then he raised his eyes to hers, a slight frown on his features. What was he thinking? Was he angry that she took the liberty? Annoyed that she still hadn't let go? Disgusted by her scratchy finger pads? It was so hard to tell.

Insecurity had her gulping down and snatching her hand away, nervously using it to tuck a brown strand of hair behind her ear.

"I could have just gone to Recovery Girl if anything happened," she dusted off her gym clothing, getting up slowly.

"Tch," Bakugou got up as well, looking like his usual self. Thank God he hadn't found it weird that she stayed a second too long with her hand on his. "You couldn't go if you died." So dramatic. "No use in you getting hurt just for helping me anyways."

"You're helping me too," she reminded gently, activating her Quirk to move the rocks back to place. As she was finishing up, she remembered his pained expression just before. "Are you hurt...?"

He ignored her question. "You're helping me more, Uraraka."

She knew he was serious when he called her by her name. She wondered if he would ever let her call him by his given name. Tease as she might, she simply adored the name Katsuki. It was funny how such a cute name ended up on such an explosive and difficult person.

Shaking her head, Ochako insisted on him visiting Recovery Girl or the infirmary, but Bakugou shrugged it off as a simple bruise. It was only when he started teasing her, saying that he'd tell everyone she hit him and that's why he was black and blue, that Ochako huffed and gave up on the matter.

But of course she got him to promise he'd put some ice and a soothing cream on later. Who did he think she was, an amateur at arguing?

They finished up their training session a little early because of the interruption, not racing back to the dorms like they did sometimes. Some days had them more tired than others, but this time around Ochako just wanted to make sure he didn't outdo himself. The last thing she needed was a guilty conscience.

They had been training for a couple of weeks now, and everyone in school already knew about their "relationship." Deku-kun was still aloof, although Ochako had asked Tsuyu-chan about Kirishima's party the week after, when they finally found some alone girlfriend time:

"Did you see his reaction?!" Uraraka pressed. "I mean, if he hadn't noticed so far, he must've heard people saying we should kiss because we were dating!"

"I don't think Midoriya seemed all that annoyed... kero. More like surprised. I don't know..."

"Tsuyu-chaaaan," Ochako groaned. "Are you sure he didn't walk away in a fit? Maybe frowned out of jealousy?!"

"I didn't notice much, I was watching you and Bakugou-kun like everyone else, kero."

Ochako blushed. She had almost forgotten about that. She had let the subject with Asui drop, but the fact that Midoriya hadn't reacted much made her feel like her plan was as useless as it was stupid.

But of course, all she could think about was the kiss she shared with _Bakugou_, of all people, in front of everyone. And of course that had to happen on their way back to the dorms, when he was just injured after protecting her. Just to make things even more confusing, if that was possible.

Just. Great.

Ochako sighed loudly. This was a nightmare. How come she started thinking about this now, all of a sudden? This was ridiculous. That had happened weeks ago. She shouldn't dwell on it!

She eyed Bakugou sideways, as to not draw too much attention to herself. He was tall. He was blond. He had an intense look and vibe around him. And he was strong. This was a combo most girls would easily fall for.

But not Ochako. She liked Deku-kun. And she liked him because he was sensitive and kind of a dork. He was nerdy and kind. He was nothing like Bakugou.

It was like the blond mess next to her was a bitter piece of candy, something citric and acid that made your face twist up and your stomach upset. And Deku-kun was sweet like milky chocolate, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

Between bitter and the sweetness, of course she chose sweet. Deku-kun worried about other people _before_ he was obsessed with becoming number one. Could she say the same about Bakugou?

And yet, hadn't Bakugou gotten hurt protecting her just minutes ago? He probably put people's safety in front of his ranking, right? Or maybe that was a test she didn't want the answer to?

Maybe he mistreated the victims in the exercise because he knew they were faking and it was all just a dumb test. She had just witnessed with her own two eyes what happened when someone's actual wellbeing was on the line. But would that ever be his priority?

"Bakugou..."

"What?" He looked at her with his usual frown as they walked back to their dorm, both of them with a thin layer of sweat from their exercise.

"Why don't you like rescuing?" She pressed. "You have one of the best grades in class, your Quirk is one of the strongest, and you train so hard... rescuing should be a vital part of your training and yet you completely ignored it up until now."

He huffed in annoyance. "Weak people need rescuing."

Ochako frowned. "That's not true."

"Yeah it is."

Uraraka suddenly remembered how Bakugou had been kidnapped by the League of Villains before the summer break, and how she told everyone he wouldn't want to be rescued. They figured out that Kirishima was the key to make Bakugou come along, but Ochako understood right then and there - rescue training made _him_ feel weak. It reminded him of when he was trapped, helpless and dependent, and it must piss him off.

This was getting messy. Why did she care about all that, anyways? She had picked Bakugou for this fake boyfriend thing _specifically _because she didn't care about him or what he thought of her. All that training together, study sessions and normal classes in school hours were starting to give her weird thoughts. Ochako should probably stay away from him for a couple of days, to see if her head cleared a little.

...Or at least she thought that. But not an hour later, she was in the kitchen staring at Bakugou's naked back and with a muscular pain cream on her hands.

How had that happened again?

"Come on, Round Face," he croaked out, obviously annoyed. "I don't have all fucking day."

"O-Okay," Ochako was able to squeak out. "Sure."

After they had showered and dressed (separately! Ochako started blushing), she found Bakugou with his hand over his shirt, struggling to find the right spot to spread the cream. He said he hadn't been able to successfully reach it, so he hadn't iced the region yet. Also, they had to be in school after breakfast, so he unceremoniously stripped himself of his uniform shirt and handed her the cream.

"Here, you spread it. This weird angle is making my arm sore."

And before she could disagree or widen her eyes at the sight of his bare (and very defined) abdomen, he had turned around and she was suddenly transformed into a stuttering idiot.

Shaking her head slightly, she opened the cream and gulped down nervously. Putting some on her palm, she hesitantly raised it to the spot where Bakugou had been hurt. It was already turning an ugly and deep purple.

He smelled nice. An almond kind of scent, for some reason. It was pleasant.

But. Anyways. Onto the mission.

Carefully touching him with only four of her fingertips, she started spreading the cream on his skin. Bakugou hissed quietly.

Ochako tore her hand away. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," he sighed forcefully. "This fucking thing is cold and it surprised me, that's all." He would never admit that touching along his bruised skin had disturbed him slightly. Pain was for losers.

"Ok-kay then." Damn it. Why was her voice so shaky and stupid? Why was she blubbering around him? This was _Bakugou_, for goodness sakes! The former bully! The one who had to be tied down for the awarding ceremony earlier that year! Because he couldn't handle winning when Todoroki-kun didn't use his Fire Quirk!

That guy was freaking insane!

But he was also... inarguably hot. And Ochako didn't think she had ever seen a boy shirtless. Not on her own, anyways. Of course she had seen boys with bathing suits during swim meets and stuff like that, but never alone with a guy who stripped in front of her.

Focusing more and tightening her resolve to chase the thoughts away, she raised her thumb and used her four remaining fingers to spread a thin layer of the soothing cream on his bruise. When she was done, she lingered one second or two, feeling the smooth texture of his skin underneath her touch.

Bakugou shuddered involuntarily.

"All done," she squeaked, surprising herself with her ridiculous tone. Ochako huffed on her way to the sink to wash her hands, shaking her head in disappointment with herself. She was better than this.

Bakugou just grunted - really, was a "thank you" too much to ask? - in response and lowered his shirt.

Ochako paused when she saw the table. It was set for two, and had enough food for them both.

"Bakugou...?"

He followed her eyes to the food displayed, and shrugged. "I ended up making extra. If you don't eat it'll just go to the trash."

There was no way Katsuki had made a mistake on the quantity he prepared for himself every day. He saw Uraraka eat poorly after training, sometimes a fruit, some days a protein bar, others plain toast. If _he_ didn't feed that girl properly, she'd just be weak and Katsuki would win by default. There was no fair game in that, was there?

"There's no way I'm letting food go to waste!" Ochako raised her voice slightly, offended. Sitting down at the table, she eyed the grilled fish, crunchy seaweed and hot white rice.

"This actually smells delicious..." she raised an eyebrow, looking Bakugou over when he joined her on the table. Serving herself, plate full, Ochako grabbed chopsticks and started eating. The salty flavor had her widening her eyes in astonishment and admiration. "This is so good! How?"

He clicked his tongue, indignant. "I cook the most nutritious meals, okay? I research and shit. I gotta keep in shape to be number one hero."

Oh, that same old story again. Didn't he think of anything else? Uraraka wondered. But anyways, this meal was way too good to warrant a response from her. Ochako kept happily humming every time she took a bite out of that delicious breakfast. If she hadn't witnessed herself Bakugou cooking everything for days now, she would have doubted that something so yummy had been prepared by such a hot head.

"The way you feed yourself so poorly, you should be taking some vitamins or supplements," he grunted, adding pure black coffee to his cup.

Ochako stopped chewing slowly, wondering why he was so worried about her eating habits. Also wondering who the heck didn't sweeten their coffee. "I should," she swallowed her bite, mulling it over. "But they're a little expensive, so they're just not worth it. I mean I could buy them for the month but then what? I couldn't make a habit out of it," she shrugged it off. "I try and mind my eating instead but... it's not the best," she admitted sheepishly.

Bakugou concentrated on his plate, frowning hard. "I have some vitamins at my house," he said in his usual loud and contemptuous manner. "I'll bring them next time."

Ochako blinked. Then a smirk came upon her. "Aww Bakugou!" She teased, scooting her chair closer to poke his cheek. "You're worried about me?"

"Shut up!" He slapped her teasing finger away with little force. "They'll expire and go to the trash unless someone takes them. I'm not doing you any favors."

"Oh yeah," Ochako teased, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "God forbid you do anyone a favor. Ever."

Katsuki glowered. "Liar. There's nothing but fucking kindness on my damn heart."

Ochako snorted, almost spilling milk over her nose, and the scene was so ridiculous that even Katsuki almost smiled for a second, even though Uraraka hadn't seen it. That girl was so pathetic.

Studying with her became a habit, and with their training and eating breakfast together, Katsuki realized she officially became the least annoying person in their class. Before, that post belonged to Kirishima, but Uraraka was a _little_ bit nicer to be around. And way less loud than Kirishima.

Just before the sun could set that day, Ochako opened her bedroom door to step out and get a textbook borrowed, probably from Bakugou. It could give her an excuse to talk to Deku, but the nerdy boy was always scribbling down on his school materials, and she knew Bakugou was organized enough to not draw a single line down on the blank spaces of the schoolbook.

As she locked her door and turned around, her fake boyfriend was standing in her way.

"Bakugou!" She clutched her chest slightly in surprise. "I didn't see you there. I was just coming to meet you, actually –"

"Here," he offered without ceremony a plastic bag he held. "I found them."

"Oh," her eyes widened, taking what he extended her and eyeing it curiously. "What's that?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "You're such an airhead, Uraraka," he shook his head, but she was not offended in the least. In fact, it seemed more and more that they were becoming friendly with each other. "What did we talk about during breakfast?"

"That I was really surprised you could cook at all, 'cause it doesn't look like you have the patience to - 'ey!" She was interrupted by his hand squishing her cute cheeks together. "No fair," Uraraka whined, bringing her free hand up and slapping his away. "Jerk."

"Oh," his eyes sparkled with a new glare, but somehow Ochako could just _tell_ he didn't mean it with anger. "The JERK here will not pass on his medicines to an ungrateful little shit like you anymore! Or rather, I'll let everything go bad and _then_ feed it to you. How's that?"

Her face lit up, completely ignoring the empty threat. "You found the vitamins? Wow! I didn't think you'd go out of your way to go to your house today, you didn't have to!"

"Exactly. No one fucking tells me what to do. I -"

"So you must have reeeeally wanted to help me, huh?" Uraraka teased, standing on the tips of her toes to narrow her eyes at him on his eye level. She even leaned in for good measure, making Katsuki glare in response. Staring at her this close made him nervous for some reason. He felt like pushing her away. Far, far away. He didn't like the anxious feeling this proximity gave him.

"Tch." He looked away, stepping back from crazy, weird Uraraka. "Last fucking time I ever try to do anyone any favors."

"Hey," she grabbed his arm, halting his movement to walk away from the embarrassing conversation. "Thank you, Bakugou," Ochako smiled sincerely. "It really means a lot."

He looked at her intensely for one second before frowning and shrugging. "Whatever," he looked away as he walked off, Ochako knowing better than to tease him over his limit.

Once she went back in her room and looked at the contents of the plastic bag, she found full boxes of vitamins and supplements enough for her to take during six consecutive months. She could save up and buy one every other month now, minding her eating habits and being careful not to overexert herself, basically having supply for a year! Maybe she'd stop having nausea if she ate better, and that would mean bettering her Quirk and kicking butt on the next Sports Festival, getting more offers for internships and fastening her ascension to Pro Hero status!

One thing that caught her attention, though, was how the boxes were closed and sealed. Brand new. They had certainly never been opened and used, and the expiration date told her that it wasn't until the year after the next that they would go bad.

Ochako hummed thoughtfully, examining the plastic bag. It had the logo of a famous pharmacy network, which could mean that Bakugo had it lying around his home and got it just as a means to transport the medicine.

Or, the most likely scenario, he went out during the afternoon and purchased them himself, only taking out the receipt as to not make it too obvious.

Checking the fabrication date, Ochako could tell these vitamins were made the month before. There was no way these were just lying around Bakugou's house, unused and forgotten.

She smiled, feeling warm and tingly inside. She knew there was more to him than met the eye, but everyone who tried a relationship with Bakugou - be it friendship, companionship or, in their case, a fake romantic one - would have to be really patient. He was still really immature and one-track-minded, always going on and on about his obsession to be the best, the strongest, the number one hero. Bakugou was a simple person on the surface, but if one wanted to really get him, they'd have to look past the almost funny explosions in his mood and the shouting and cursing. He was more complex than that. He did give away signs that he cared, occasionally. One had to be attentive to those. And Ochako could certainly tell that their proximity had led to him caring about her - not in a girlfriend-boyfriend way like they were faking, of course, but as someone who he could consider a friend. Maybe even a close one. He would never go out of his way to buy her medicine she couldn't afford - to spend _money_ on things that weren't for himself - if he didn't care about Uraraka. And that made her feel extremely special, because not many - if anyone at all - had the intimacy necessary to glimpse at this softer side of the guy.

Sure, he had a lot to work on - his angry explosions could happen a little less often, for instance - but Ochako knew that underneath that rocky exterior, he had a heart of gold. Unlike herself, always struggling to get people to like her - it came with wanting to be a Pro Hero, since it depended on her popularity and charisma - Bakugou didn't give a damn. It was almost liberating to watch. He inspired her to be more like herself around him, teasing and proud, feeling badass over a particular strike she was able to land or an unexpected use of her Quirk. And she hoped that she, in turn, inspired him to be a little more helpful and mature. She could already tell he was considerate when it really mattered - the vitamins were proof of it. She forgot all about the textbook for now, taking one of the pills with some water and writing down how much she had to save to be able to afford them the following six months.

Every day they spent hours on end together; at 6AM they went to Gym Gamma, practiced sparring and rescuing until 7:30, went back to the dorms together, showered and changed, and then had breakfast before class (always prepared by Bakugou). Then they joined their classmates, had school hours, lunch - that meal was shared again because their whole class practically sat together on the cafeteria - and more lessons in the afternoon. Then, on most days, they ended up in each other's bedrooms to study or complete an assignment together.

Of course, not all days were filled with absolute harmony between the two – sometimes Bakugou was simply _insufferable_. He refused to answer the simplest questions because he was in a _mood_, he took it out on fighting with every single person he interacted with, and he glared at everything and everyone. He barely grunted two words in her direction during those days.

Even so, with weeks in, almost every teacher – always the last to know – heard about their "relationship", and their colleagues whispered about how often they were alone in each other's rooms, much to Ochako's embarrassment. She corrected everyone when she could, saying they were just studying together and helping each other out, that she'd leave her door open if that would make everyone stop talking.

It didn't help one bit when Bakugou loudly stated that his door was going to remain closed because of the noise.

Needless to say, everyone thought it was about the supposed noise him or Ochako made. While doing. Stuff.

Uraraka was _mortified_. She turned such a deep red that she started stuttering and trying to say that it was about the outside noise, that Bakugou hated studying in the common room, but everyone was snickering and teasing before she could say much.

It wasn't long before they settled into a routine, and it was a regular Friday when Ochako noticed that she was doing absolutely nothing in order to get closer to Deku. She spent all of her free time - and busy too - with Bakugou. They had been fake-dating for almost a month, and she didn't even need to blackmail him into it anymore. They were - well, maybe not friends, or boyfriend and girlfriend, but... really close...people? Two individuals who cared about each other, even though neither would actually admit it?

Thinking about caring and love, her mind wandered to Deku-kun. How many consecutive days had it been since she had last thought of him? His goofy smile? The cute face he made when he was writing things down in his notebook like the nerd he was? It seemed they hung out less and less ever since she and Bakugou started "dating".

That chain of thought had Ochako not only confused, but also worried. She was only going through all of this – putting up with Bakugou's occasional rudeness and impoliteness – because she was in love with Deku-kun.

Wasn't she?

Slamming her hands down on her studying table, Ochako got up in a second.

"Jesus fuck!" Bakugou startled himself and clutched his chest. "What in all hell, Uraraka?"

"I... I need to do something," she explained lamely, going out of Bakugou's room and completely confused about her train of thought. She even left her studying material behind, so he figured she'd come right back.

Katsuki just shrugged. Girls. Even though Uraraka was not like most - meaning she wasn't giggly and superficial like he imagined all of them were - she wasn't immune to girly shit. Maybe she needed to pee and was just embarrassed to ask to use his bathroom. Or something equally cutesy.

Speaking of that, it always amazed Katsuki when he noticed the difference between Uraraka with him and with other people. When they were together, she was determined, sarcastic and frequently sweaty – she acted like she wasn't afraid of him. But what happened once people from their class were around? Fucking Miss Congeniality.

Uraraka was a badass who seemed scared to own it. She had everything it took to be a Pro Hero; she had a cool Quirk, she was pretty, her hair smelled nice, her cheeks were round and plump and her eyes were such a cute chocolate brown that Katsuki could already imagine little Uravity dolls being a huge hit.

Woah.

What the actual fuck.

Slamming his own hands down on his studying table, Katsuki got up in a fit, making his way to Kirishima's room. He needed manly company. He needed something to distract himself. Videogames or working out. Uraraka, pretty! This was fucking ridiculous. And thinking about the scent of her hair?

He _had_ noticed she was cute before. He wasn't blind. He had even acknowledged it in thought during Kirishima's party. But actively thinking about it? Out of fucking nowhere? What was he, a ten-year-old brat with a crush?

"Bakubro!" Kirishima opened the door to his bedroom with his pointy teeth in a grin. "What gives me the absolute honor?"

"Uraraka!" He blurted, nervous as usual.

"Oh, a lover's quarrel I see! Well my dude, fear not. I have absolutely zero experience in relationships and approximately thirty-seven solid advices to pass on –"

"It's not that," he pushed past Kirishima and entered his friend's room. He figured if Uraraka could tell Frog Face, he could tell Shitty Hair. "Close the damn door."

"Oh, I heard that one before," Kirishima grinned as he obeyed Katsuki. "You were barking at everyone in the common room the other day about how you like them better closed because of all the _noise_..."

"Kirishima," Bakugou growled. "Hear me the fuck out, dumbass."

"You do curse a lot. Isn't your mom embarrassed?"

"Forget the old hag!" Bakugou gestured grandly. "I'm trying to fucking tell you something!"

"Okay, alright," Kirishima stopped smiling slightly. "Spit it out," he sat down by his armchair, gesturing for Katsuki to sit across from him.

"Fucking Uraraka, man!" Bakugou huffed out, sitting on the extra armchair. "Just... fuck!"

"Very elaborate," the redhead nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, she! Ugh! Stupid," he called himself, slapping his forehead. "She's like... she's... I can't! We're not... but I kind of... fucking hell!"

"Not that I'm not completely getting everything you're saying," Kirishima crossed his legs thoughtfully. "But could you please give the audience some context?" He pointed to himself. "'Cause the audience is, like, super confused at the moment."

"We're not really dating."

"You and me? I should hope not, man. You're handsome and all but I just don't swing that way, if you know what I mean."

"Me and Uraraka," Katsuki spat through gritted teeth, holding back his willingness to punch Kirishima in the fucking face.

"Woah," his friend uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "What do you mean? Did you guys break up or have a fight?"

"I mean we never started anything," Katsuki looked pointedly to the side. "She... She blackmailed me into faking being her boyfriend. So the guy she's really into will notice her."

Kirishima hissed. "Man, that's cold. I wouldn't peg Uraraka for the type."

"No one fucking would!" Bakugou exploded. "That's just the thing! She takes advantage of being cute and shit! She's a sneaky little devil! That's what she is! She's, she's! Fucking terrible!"

Kirishima caressed his chin thoughtfully. "So what I'm picking up here is kind of an I-think-she's-cute vibe."

"She's not - I don't fucking think that!"

"Well, you wouldn't be the first to think it," Kirishima shrugged. "I mean, I don't think she's ugly or anything but I don't see the big deal either. But I heard guys from our class and even spectators from the Sports Festival commenting on how cute or pretty Uraraka-san is."

"But she's my –" Katsuki stopped himself before he could say _girlfriend_. Was he really about to spit that out? He had just told Kirishima they weren't dating! "I don't think she's cute! She's fucking unnerving!"

Kirishima raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, then. What's the problem? If you don't think she's cute, and you're only fake dating, it's okay, right?"

"She - she took advantage of looking innocent to do that!" Bakugou frowned with a glare. How had he agreed to do something so stupid in the first place?

"I mean, yeah," Kirishima tapped his cheek in deep thought. "That was a genius move. No one but me and Kaminari would take your side. People would think you hurt her feelings and spread lies -"

"Exactly!" Katsuki nearly stood up in his chair, such was his agitation. "Fuck! She's manipulative! She's cold! She, she's –"

"Cute?"

"Yeah, fuck!" Katsuki unknowingly contradicted himself. "She's distracting! She keeps smiling and being nice like I don't know what's up! She's sabotaging me to be number one hero herself!"

"While I think that's maaaaybe going a little far," his friend leaned back in his chair. "What exactly is she threatening you with? Are you in any trouble? Did you get into a fistfight that could get you expelled or...?"

Katsuki deflated, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Nothing like that. She's just - really smart and sneaky. That little shit."

Kirishima's eyes dawned with understanding for the first time since that explosive conversation began.

"Man... do you like her?" He leaned forward with a slight frown. "Is that it? You're not really dating, but you wish you were?"

Katsuki closed his mouth, tight-lipped and glaring hard at his friend. No, there was no way this was it. He was just frustrated because he caught himself thinking she was pretty out of fucking nowhere. That was it.

"She's just annoying to be around," he lied. "I can't fucking wait for it to finally be over."

"Uhuh," Kirishima cocked his head to the side. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, I just had to tell someone or else I'd fucking explode. This is such a pain in my ass."

Knowing that Bakugou always said the exact opposite of what he meant, Kirishima hummed, choosing not to press him any further. "Okay, bro. Whatever you say."

"Uraraka-san?" Midoriya frowned when he opened his bedroom door and found the girl, looking nervous and awkward as she stood in front of him. A second passed and when Ochako couldn't get anything out, Izuku frowned at her.

"Something happened with Kacchan? You guys had a fight?"

Uraraka gulped. "Uh… may I come in? We should… we should talk."

"Okay," Midoriya stepped aside so she could walk in, closing the door behind Ochako.

After a little hesitating, Uraraka squirmed in her place and finally stuttered out her crush's name. "D-Deku-kun… I can't help but shake the feeling that we've been… kind of at odds with each other. Since Kirishima's party a month ago."

Maybe she had gone too far in suggesting that, but at least it got a reaction out of Midoriya, who widened his eyes and seemed to realize what he had been doing – unknowingly pushing away a dear friend because he was upset with something neither he nor she could control: other people's affections.

"I'm sorry, Uraraka-san," he said truthfully. "I _have_ been… a little off lately. Lots of… training," he finished lamely, simply not being able to come clean with her. She could tell he was lying, but just nodded in response. She didn't like pushing Deku-kun. Ochako knew he had his own time in dealing with things. "But I have pushed you away a little. And I'm really sorry about that. I guess I just… got a little jealous of you and Kacchan."

Had he just said the magic word? "You were… jealous?" She repeated carefully.

"Y-Yeah," Midoriya admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I thought you guys being together wouldn't work…because Kacchan is always so rude, you know? He's my friend, but because of that I know him better than anyone. He can be so mean sometimes. And I guess I just think… you deserve someone better. Someone who treats you like you deserve to be treated."

Ochako's heart skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened. "I-I…"

"Don't get me wrong!" Midoriya gestured. "I'm not wishing you guys would break up or anything… I just… I thought you would struggle and instead you two seem to really be getting along."

Uraraka stayed silent. To her surprise, Deku continued:

"So it just reminds me now that I can't be with the one I like."

Her world seemed to slow to a stop. Deku-kun, in love?

Could it _possibly_ be with her?

"D-Deku-kun, I… I…"

"Sorry," Midoriya shook his head. "I'm sorry, Uraraka-san. I shouldn't have said all that. I'm happy for you, really! So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Uraraka's eyes filled with tears. She wanted to say that _she_ was in love with him. She wanted to shout, _I love you, Midoriya Izuku_. She wished she could get her feelings out. But she had a knot on her throat, and a heavy weight in her chest. It was like she was paralyzed. Something stopped her from saying everything she had nurtured for months for the boy standing in front of her.

Instead, she just sobbed and admitted, "Thank you… thank you for… for everything…"

If anything, Deku had been incredibly honest with her. He had been jealous of her with Bakugou. Her plan had worked. She even heard it from Deku himself that he had someone he liked and that he would want to be with her like that one day…

But she didn't know if it was her. What if it was someone else? The thought pierced through her and hurt more than she had anticipated. And if _she _was the one? Ochako had just architected a whole masterplan that ended up breaking Deku's heart. She felt even lower.

His confession had just taken everything to a whole other level of high stakes.

Midoriya knitted his eyebrows and felt sorry for his friend. Hugging Uraraka tight, he wished she would just stop crying. "It's okay," he repeated. "You don't need to worry about me." Every word unknowingly made Ochako feel worse about herself. Because of her selfishness, he felt in the wrong. If she had just been honest from the beginning and confessed to him, like any normal person would, she would have gotten her answer and be done with it. Instead, because she cherished him so much as a friend, she was in this mess.

"Let's go back to the way things were," Midoriya offered. He missed Uraraka. "I want to be friends again." He regretted pushing her away, and because of something so petty… he should have been happy for her from the start. She had no fault in his misery.

Uraraka nodded, sniffling into his chest. She felt terribly mean and egotistical and a coward, who couldn't even confess, if only to end someone's pain. Truth was, she was comfortable doing nothing about her situation, hanging out with Bakugou and postponing the real confrontation with Deku-kun. But she couldn't do that anymore.

Indecisiveness had her crying herself to sleep that night.


End file.
